Taping machine

ABSTRACT

A MACHINE FOR APPLYING TAPE AROUND PACKAGES, HAVING A TAPE SUPPLY ASSEMBLY WHICH IS ROTATED AROUND THE PACKAGE AND WHICH INCLUDES A TAPE SUPPLY ROLL AND DRIVEN AND IDLER ROLLERS ENGAGING THE TAPE TO PULL IT FROM THE SUPPLY ROLL AND THUS REDUCE THE TENSION ON THE TAPE AS APPLIED TO THE PACKAGE. THE PRESSURE BETWEEN THE TWO ROLLERS AND ACCORDINGLY THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE DRIVEN ROLLER AND THE TAPE MAY BE CONTROLLED BY A YIELDABLY   MOUNTED TAPE SENSING ELEMENT WHICH ENGAGES THE TAPE AND MOVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TAPE TENSION.

Jan. 19, 1 7 J. w. DERENTHAL TAPING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1968 Jim; 19,1971 J. w. DE RENT HAL 3,556,

TAPING MACHINE Filed June 6, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet a J. w. i fi 53,556,910

TAPING MACHINE Filed June a, 1968 4Sheecs-Sheet J.

United States Patent 3,556,910 TAPING MACHINE Jerome W. Derenthal, Succasunna, N.J., assiguor to Stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 6, 1968, Ser. No. 735,092 Int. Cl. B65b 13/10, 17/20; B32b 31/18 US. Cl. 156-523 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for applying tape around packages, having a tape supply assembly which is rotated around the package and which includes a tape supply roll and driven and idler rollers engaging the tape to pull it from the supply roll and thus reduce the tension on the tape as applied to the package. The pressure between the two rollers and accordingly the friction between the driven roller and the tape may be controlled by a yieldably mounted tape sensing element which engages the tape and moves in accordance with the tape tension.

This invention relates to a machine for applying tape, particularly pressure sensitive adhesive tape around packages of various sizes, particularly flexible packages of soft or fragile materials.

Among the objects of the invention is that of providing a taping mechanism wherein adjustable tape pulling means is provided for pulling the tape from the supply roll, thereby limiting the tension imposed on the tape as it is applied to the package and preventing crushing or creasing of the package and its contents. The invention is thus particularly useful in packaging clothing and other dry goods which may be damaged by being held in a creased or wrinkled condition for a period of time, especially in the case of permanent press fabrics.

Another object is that of providing such a machine which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, yet reliable and fullproof in operation.

Other objects will be apparent hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a machine incorporating features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the machine, partly broken away.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the electrical control circuit of the machine.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational of the machine showing, at enlarged scale, the tape pulling mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a generally horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

As may be seen in FIG. 1, the machine includes a horizontal table divided into two aligned table portions 10 and 12 separated by a gap 14 which is slightly wider than the tape. The package 2 to be taped is placed on this table with the portion around which the tape is to be applied overlying the gap 14. An end plate 16 and side plates 18 are adjustably positioned on the table portion 10 and project upwardly therefrom to engage the end and sides of the package 3 to facilitate proper placement of the package on the table by the machine operator and to hold the package in position as the tape is wrapped around it.

A tape supply assembly, generally designated 20, is mounted for rotation around the table in a generally vertical plane parallel to the gap 14. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tape supply assembly 20 is fixed at one end of a horizontal arm 22 whose opposite end projects 3,556,910 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 perpendicularly from a pair of radial arms 24 and 26 which respectively extend from hub portions 24a and 26a rotatably supported on a fixed shaft 28 suitably mounted on the frame of the machine.

The radial arms 24 and 26 are interconnected by a spacer block 29 and driven by a sprocket 30 secured to one face of the hub 26a by bolts 32 and having trained about it a chain 34 extending from a conventional drive assembly (shown only in the schematic electrical diagram, FIG. 4) including an electric motor 36 with a reducing gear, a solenoid-actuated clutch 38 and brake 40.

As will be understood from an examination of FIG. 4, closure of the master switch 52 connects the power lines 53 and 54 through the fuse 55 to the motor 36, causing the motor to run continuously. Depressing the foot-' actuated start switch 56 opens its normally closed contacts 56a, breaking the supply of direct current from the rectifier 58 to the brake 40, and closes its normally open contacts 56b, supplying direct current from the rectifier 58 through a rheostat 59 to the clutch 38. This causes driving of the chain 34, sprocket 30, and radial arms 24 and 26 (FIGS. 2 and 3) causing the tape supply assembly 20 to rotate in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1) around the table and the package I: thereon.

As this movement starts, a cam 60 (FIG. 2) on the outer face of the sprocket 30 moves away from the actuating roller arm 62a of a stop switch 62 (shown also in FIG. 4), allowing its normally closed contacts 621; to close and supplying direct current from the rectifier 58 to the clutch 38 even after release of the momentarily actuated start switch 56. Thus the rotation of the sprocket 30 and tape supply assembly 20 will continue for a full revolution. Upon completion of this revolution, the cam 60 (FIG. 2) on the sprocket 30 again engages the roller arm 62a of the stop switch 62, opening its normally closed contacts 62b (FIG. 4) to disengage the clutch 38 and closing its normally open contacts 62c to supply direct current from the rectifier 58 through the normally closed contacts 56a of the start switch 56 to the brake 40, stopping the sprocket 30 and the tape supply assembly 20.

Thus, each time the foot-operated start switch 56 is depressed, the tape supply assembly 20 is driven for one revolution and automatically stopped.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the tape supply assembly 20 includes a transverse supporting bar 64 mounted at the end of the arm 22 and having projecting perpendicularly from it an arm 66 at whose outer end is rotatably supported a supply roll 3 of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The web of tape 2 extending from the roll 3 bears against a driven roller 68, with the ungummed side of the tape toward the roller 68, then passes over a tension-sensing arm 70, under a first guide roller 72, which is knurled to prevent adhesion to the gummed surface of the tape, and over a second guide roller 74, which has flanges at each end to keep the tape in transverse alignment, and finally to the package 2 on the table, in line with the gap 14.

The driven roller 68 is fixed at the end of a shaft 76 which is rotatably supported in the horizontal arm 22 and whose opposite end is connected to an overrunning clutch 78 which is driven by another shaft 80 journalled in the outer ends of the radial arms 24 and 26. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, fixed at the outer end of the latter shaft 80 is a pulley '82 about which is trained a belt 84 which is also trained about a pulley 86 fixed on a shaft 88 journalled in the radial arms 24 and 26 near their inner ends. Also fixed on the shaft 88 is a pinion 90 which meshes with a larger spur gear 92 'keyed to the fixed shaft 28 by a spline 94. Since the spur gear 92 is non-rotating, as the radial arms 24 and 26 are rotated, the meshing pinion 90 thereon is caused to rotate about its axis, driving the belt 84, the shafts 80 and 76 and the driven roller 68...:V.-:"--"-:' :f' lsn- 1;. M, v.rt ;iu H, V m.

Thus, whenever the tape feeding assembly 20 is being rotated about the table, the driven roller 68 is rotated proportionally.

As shown in FIGS. and 6, the tape'g is pressed against the surface of the driven roller 68 by a pair of presser rollers 96 and 98. These two presser rollers 96 and 98 engage the gummed side of the tape, but are provided with narrow peripheral ribs of silicone rubber, neoprene or similar material for which the pressure sensitive tape has little adherence.

The first presser roller 96 is rotatably mounted at the end of 'an arm 100 which is pivoted on a bolt 102 projecting from the transverse bar 64. The arm 100 is urged in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in'FIG. 5, by a coil tension spring-104 having tis upper end hooked through the outer end of the arm 100 and its lower end hooked through an adjusting'bolt 106'extending through a flange 108a at the lower end of a supporting arm 108 projecting downwardly from the bar 64 and held by locking nuts 110 in such position as to impose the desired degree of tension on the spring 104. As will be understood, the more tightly the presser roller 96 presses the tape 2 against the driven roller, the greater the friction between the tape 2 and the driven roller and the greater the tension imposed on the tape, up to the level required to strip it from the roll 11. The tension of the spring 104 is normally adjusted so that the tension imposed on the tape 2 by pressure of the first roller 96 against the driven roller 68 is below that required to strip the tape from the roll it.

The second presser roller 98 is rotatably supported at one end of a lever 112 which is pivoted on a bolt 114 projecting from the bar 64. The lever 112 is urged in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 5, by a. coil tension spring 116 whose opposite ends are respectively connected to a finger 118 projecting from an upward extension 112a at the right-hand end of the lever 112 and to an adjusting bolt 120 secured by locking nuts 122 in the flange 124a of an arm 124 projecting upwardly from the supporting bar '64. Such movement of the lever 112 under the influence of the spring 116 is limited by engagement of a downward extension 1121; at the lefthand end of the lever 1 12 with the upper end of a stop bolt 126 threaded through a bracket 128 secured to the lower edge of the supporting bar 64 and secured in the adjusted position by a locking nut 130.

The aforementioned tension-sensing arm 70 is secured to the upward extension 112a of the lever 1 12, so that, as tension is imposed on the portion of the web of tape 2 between the driven roller 68 and the package 2, the arm 70 is pulled downwardly, rocking the lever 112 in a clockwise direction against the relatively light resistance of the spring 116, pressing the roller 98 more tightly against the tape 2 and increasing friction between the tape 2 and the driven roller 68. Thus, as the rotation of the tape supply assembly 20 around the package 1:, combined with the resitance of the tape to being stripped from the roll 3, tends to increase the tension on the tape, the friction between the driven roller 68 and the tape 2 is automatically increased so that the tension provided by the driven roller 68 is increased accordingly, and the tension ot'the tape as applied to the package is limited to a desired level, as controlled by the adjusting bolts 120 and 106.

Thus the force with which the tape compresses the package 2 is limited to prevent undue creasing or wrinkling of the package.

As will be understood, the elements in the drive train of the driven roller 68 are 50 selected that the peripheral speed of the roller 68 is greater than the linear speed at which the tape is pulled when being wrapped around any size of package which is expected to be handled in the machine. Thus, by adjusting the tension of the springs 104 and 116 to control the degree of slippage between the drivenroller 68and the tape, thetape' can b'e fed at the appropriate linear speed with greatly reduced tension at the point of application.

The operator merly attaches the leading end of the tape to the package 2 on the table, then trips the footactuated start which 56 (FIG. 4), causing the tape supply assembly to be rotated around thejtable. for one revolution, wrapping tape around the package 1f, the tape passing through the gap 14 to reach the bottom of the package. If it is desired to wrap more thanone strand of tape around the package, after completion of the first revolution, the operator merley trips the start switch a second time. The operator then cuts the tape and presses its trailing end down into place. The operations of applying the leading end of the tape, cutting the tape, and securing its trailing end can, of course, be accomplished by mechanical attachments instead of. manually.

The overrunning clutch 78 (FIG. 2) permits the driven roller 68 to be rotated to cause feeding of the tape 2 even when the tape supply assembly 20 is not rotating, for example, by means of a knob 132 fixed on the shaft 76, to permit threading of tape through the tape supply assembly in starting up with a new roll of tape.

A guard rail 134 is secured to the opposite ends of the bar 64 and extends to the top of the tape supply assembly to protect the mechanism as well as to reduce the likelihood of injury to the operator and-others during rotation of the tape supply assembly.

It will thus be appreciated the present invention provides a machine by which the aforementioned and other desirable objectives have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the specific, embodiment which is described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings is intended as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and not as restrictive of the scope thereof, which is defined only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for applying tape around packages, said machine comprising table means for supporting said packages, said table means being divided into two support portions separated by a gap of a width exceeding that of said tape, a tape supply assembly mounted for rotation around said table means in a closed path ina plane parallel to said gap, a tape supply mounted on said tape-supply assembly, a tape pulling mechanism mounted on said tape supply assembly for engaging a web of tape extending from said tape supply to the portion of a package on said table means opposite said gap and applying to said tape tension tending to pull said tape from said tape supply, means todrive said tape supply assembly around said closed path, and means for driving said tape pulling mechanism.to pull tape from said supply as said tape supply assembly moves in said closed path.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in' which the means for driving said tape pulling mechanism comprises a drive linkage between the movable tape supply assemblyand a fixed portion of said machine'whereby said'tape pulling mechanism is driven proportionally to the movement of said tape supply assembly.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said tape pulling mechanism includes a driven element and anidler element mounted at opposite sides of the tape path, said idler element being mounted for relative movement toward and away from said driven element, and a yieldably mounted tension-sensing element engaging the portion of the web of tape extending from said drivenelement and 4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive means is controlled by a stop switch actuated at a predetermined point in said closed path, whereby the said drive means drives said tape supply assembly through one revolution and then is automatically stopped.

5. A machine for applying tape around packages, said machine comprising table means for supporting said packages, said table means being divided into two generally aligned horizontal support portions separated by a gap of a width exceeding that of said tape, a tape supply assembly mounted for rotation around said table means in a closed path in a generally vertical plane parallel to said gap, means on said tape supply assembly for rotatably supporting a roll of tape, a tape pulling mechanism,

mounted on said tape supply assembly for engaging a web of tape extending from said roll of tape to the portion of a package on said table means overlying said gap and applying to said tape tension tending to pull said web of tape from said roll, means to drive said tape supply assembly around said closed path, a driven roller rotatably mounted on said tape supply assembly adjacent the path of said web of tape, drive means coupling said driven roller to a fixed portion of the machine to convert the rotation of said tape supply assembly to rotation of said driven roller, idler roller means rotatably mounted on support means mounted on said tape supply assembly for movement toward and away from said driven roller, and adjustable yieldable means urging said idler roller means toward said driven roller to vary the friction between said driven roller and said web of tape to reduce the tension on said web of tape as applied to said package.

6. A machine for applying tape around packages, said machine comprising table means for supporting said packages, said table means being divided into two generally aligned horizontal support portions separated by a gap of a width exceeding that of said tape, a tape supply assembly mounted for rotation around said table means in a closed path in a generally vertical plane parallel to said gap, means on said tape supply assembly for rotatably supporting a roll of tape, a tape pulling mechanism mounted on said tape supply assembly for engaging a web of tape extending from said roll of tape to the portion of a package on said table means overlying said gap and applying to said tape tension tending to pull said web of tape from said roll, means to drive said tape supply assembly around said closed path, a driven roller rotatably mounted on said tape supply assembly adjacent thejpath of said web of tape, drive means coupling said driven roller to a fixed portion of the machine to convert the rotation of said tape supply assembly to rotation of said driven roller, a pair of idler rollers respectively rotatably mounted on separate support members movable toward and away from said driven roller, adjustable spring means engaging one of; said support members to urge the idler roller thereon yieldably toward said driven roller and a tension-sensing arm mounted on the other of said support members and engaging the portion of said web of tape between said driveri roller and a package on said table means whereby an increase in the tension of said portion ofsaid web of tape causes the idler roller on said other support member to be pressed toward said driven roller to increase the friction between said driven roller and said web of tape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,230,123 1/1966 Christensen 242-7.22X 3,279,665 10/1966 Badgett 226-25 3,294,301 12/1966 Richter 226-34X 3,324,789 6/ 1967 Buettner 100 -27 3,386,370 6/1968 Brown 100-27X BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner J. M. HANLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

